Master of Aura
by The BadAss Writer
Summary: In a twist of fate and tradition, Ash is given a riolu as his starter pokemon. With loyal friends and partners at his side Ash will go through the regions living up to his potential in order to become the most powerful trainer in the world. And what does said world have in store for him? Let's find out.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and I only own the plot and the modifications I made to the preexisting universe of pokemon. I would like to go to the corner of my room over this fact now. Enjoy the chapter.**

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A groan of annoyance and discomfort was heard as the harsh and unforgiving rays of the yellow rising star that was the center of the solar system rose from the east horizon, bathing the sea and the land with its warmth. Said warmth was not appreciated, however, by Ash Ketchum as he was forced to get up by the natural glare of the sun and his own biological clock. Light brown eyes fluttered open as the transaction from unconsciousness to awareness was made. It took a few seconds of blinking and pressing his eyelids together before his eyes were able to comfortably look around the room in search of something that would tell him the current time.

He quickly found it and much to his pleasure it was only a few minutes past seven o'clock in the morning. As he took a sitting position on his bed, the covers sliding down to show the thin body upper body that he sported at his twelve years of age, which astounded many of the townspeople of Pallet since he ate a lot.

A grin soon stretched across his surprisingly narrow face as he spotted the calendar perched on his door. There was a big, red circle done with marker on a specific day of march, today, and that indicated that today was going to be the start of his journey. It didn't take long for Ash to bolt out of bed in direction of his bathroom so he could get ready to go to Professor Oak's lab to receive his starter pokemon.

For as long as he could remember Ash had wanted to be a pokemon trainer and being the best pokemon trainer was his dream. Ash didn't want to be just your run in the mill trainer, nay, Ash Ketchum wanted to be the best pokemon master to ever exist and if one knew how much he had looked up to this day, one wouldn't be surprised to see how much dedication he had put into his studies and preparation for this particular day.

Local professors were required by the League to prepare at least three hopeful trainers for two years once they became ten years old in order to make them ready for the absolutely dangerous world in which they lived in. Pokemon trainers needed to be knowledgeable, intelligent and responsible and it was the job of the local professor to prepare the trainers to be both mentally and physically prepared since the world, the Kanto Region specifically, was a very dangerous place. And the only reason was because of a pokemon's nature itself.

Pokemon were basically animals only that they had the potential to cause mass destruction on a whim should they desire it or deem it feet. And while pokemon weren't necessarily rampaging and evil beasts, with very few exceptions, Pokemon were still animals, savage beings that were very, very intelligent and in some cases Pokemon surpassed humans in brain capacity and capability, the most prominent case being the physic types with brains powerful enough they could construct barriers with the power of their minds.

In the last two years, Ash had dedicated himself to get ready for his oncoming journey, always listening to Professor Oak's, the local professor and the official sponsor for trainers that started their journey on Pallet Town, lectures and advice on how could prepare himself physically, which involved on getting up at the crack of down to exercise his body regularly with a huge amount of cardio workouts that used to leave him sore on the first few months after he began to do them.

And after Ash turned twelve, which happened three days ago, and the Indigo Conference passed, a week ago more or less, it was time for him to start his own adventure. Ash inspected himself on the mirror and he nodded at his reflection, approving of it. He was wearing black cargo pants that were tucked into brown, hiking boots. His pants were held up by a brown belt that had attached to it circular magnets for his pokeballs. His upper body was covered by a long sleeved polyester shirt that clung to his body and over that he wore a black and white, high collared vest that was zipped up a third way up.

He adjusted his black, red and white cap to keep his unruly and utterly disobedient black hair in place before he bolted out of his room, his bed left unmade. It wasn't like he was going to use it again for quite some time anyways.

Ash reached the end of the stairs and the kitchen/dining room combo of his house and his mouth watered at the sight of the onigiri and vegetable soup that his mother did for breakfast. He spotted his mother, as radiant as ever with her youthful face and brown hair and brown eyes, similar to his own, waiting for him with a small smile on her face.

"Good morning, honey," she greeted him more subdued than usual but he could see that there was nothing wrong with her, at least not that he knew off but if his mother had any issues that he needed to know about then she was certainly going to tell him about them so he decided to overlook this. "How did you sleep?"

Ash grinned sheepishly as he sat down and helped himself with some onigiri that he simply dropped lightly on the soup so as not to make a mess. "I could barely sleep with all the excitement mom! It took me a long while to finally go to sleep after you went to my room to tell me that it was already late. I think I need to thank you for making sure that I was always up by this time no matter what time I went to sleep since I'd probably be late today otherwise," he said with a sheepish tone of voice that matched his expression.

Ash didn't notice how Delia's smile faltered for a second but she thankfully managed to cover up her slip… for the time being. She laughed into her hand as she watched her son eating the food earnestly but not looking like a barbarian without etiquette. It took Delia a while to beat, somewhat literally as Ash's head had very painful meetings with her many spoons, manners into him and while he still ate fast it wasn't disgusting to watch. And he swallowed his food before speaking so it was a plus too.

She managed to control her amusement but her eyes showed it clearly. "I know exactly how that feels. It was the same thing when I became a trainer for the first time ever," she told him with a nostalgic smile and a matching gleam on her eyes as she reminisced of past times. She then looked at her son with curious eyes. "Did you decide which pokemon are you going to choose?" She asked him, and Ash noted an odd inflection in her voice.

He shrugged it off, both literally and figuratively as his shoulders rose and fell. "No, I haven't. I don't really care which pokemon is my starter, although charmander is very cool, but I just want a friend to train and to become close with so we can reach the top together," explained Ash with a small smile on his face and his eyes were full of fondness for the marvelous and incredible creatures that made up the world where they lived in.

Ash didn't notice the sigh of relief that Delia gave before she looked at the clock above the window near the stove. Her eyes widened and she stood up, drawing a confused look from Ash. "You should get going, honey. If you don't, you are really going to be late and I doubt Professor Oak is going to tolerate that," she told hastily as she pulled him out of his chair and began to push him towards the door of their house.

A bewildered Ash couldn't do anything as he was pushed out, told that he was to come back after he got his pokemon to get his backpack and say goodbye and the door was closed on his face. Delia gave a prominent sigh as she started to make the way up the stairs to tidy up Ash's mess. He might be responsible and intelligent for his age, but 'trivial' things like this always seemed to escape his notice. Delia smiled nonetheless. He was her son and she couldn't be more proud of him.

And for that reason there was a very good surprise waiting for him as Oak's Lab today. And she was more than sure that he was going to absolutely love it.

XxXxX

It didn't take him too much to reach Professor Oak's Ranch/Lab, fifteen minutes at the most. The research facility of the most renowned pokemon professor in Kanto was located very near of Ash's house so it was basically a straight line from his home towards there. The main facility was located on a hill that overlooked all of Pallet, a very good idea since Professor Oak was also its protector, and it was rectangular building with solar panels on its roof and a windmill behind it. It certainly made use of nature as a source of electricity.

When Ash arrived he got a curious look on his face as he was sure he was going to be last one to arrive but much to his surprise he was the only one there, not even Gary was waiting outside. And that was even more surprising since Gary Oak's eagerness to start his own journey was only matched by Ash's own and Gary's arrogance, which was the reason they stopped being friends a few years ago. Ash couldn't really stand him.

Ash took a few steps forward and stood in front of the closed gate that guarded the stairs one needed to take to reach the lab. He scratched the back of his head in confusion before he shrugged his shoulders. If the others were going to be late then it was their problem, not his. He crossed his arms and decided to wait. It was still a few minutes earlier before the time he was supposed to be here so it wasn't like he couldn't wait. Maybe the others would arrive before the supposed time.

Ash's eyes widened and he turned towards the gate sharply as he noticed that it was being opened. A man wearing a white lab coat over a red polo-shirt and khaki pants walked out. He seemed to be on his early fifties and his sharp and intelligent eyes quickly found his and there was a small, approving smile on his face. It made Ash feel like he had succeeded splendidly in a test he had not been prepared for.

"Good morning, Ash. It's good to see that you are on time. How are you feeling?" Oak inquired as he peered down at who he knew was the most promising rookie from Pallet this year. Ash's dedication to learning everything there was to learn about the pokemon world was unparalleled and the fact that he was also intelligent, something that he surely inherited from both his mother and father, and responsible, this one was thanks only to his mother.

His own grandson was also highly intelligent and dedicated but his attitude let a lot of things to be desired and unless Gary changed his way, he wasn't going to reach the heights that Ash was surely going to reach and not after too long also surpass. It was basically on his blood.

Ash grinned at the professor. "I'm pretty good, Professor Oak, pretty excited to finally be able to start my journey and go on my own and catch and befriend pokemon. What about you?" This made Oak chuckle as he knew that it was thanks to Delia's 'disciplinary techniques' that he inquired about his state of being.

Oak shook his head lightly. "I am very good myself, thanks for asking. Since you are already here, come with me. We need to discuss some matters," he said before he turned around and began to go up the stairs towards the lab.

Ash frowned in confusion. Weren't they going to wait for the others? He shook his head and hastily walked until he was two steps behind Professor Oak. He wasn't going to argue with him and he knew that if the others didn't get a Pokemon then it was their problem and their fault for not being at the requested time. He felt sorry for Zack and for Leaf, they were good friends of him but he wasn't going to be sorry for Gary. That jerk didn't deserve it.

Oak led Ash through the lab and while it wasn't the first time, the black haired preteen couldn't help but marvel at the impressive machinery that was used to study and research pokemon. He could see several aides by those machines taking notes on many pokemon; he spotted something that resembled a pink grimer, a ditto: a strange pokemon with the ability to turn into any pokemon and anything it observed that appeared recently, a few years ago actually. Its cells were starting to be used on medical treatment as a matter of fact and it seemed like Professor Oak was helping on that matter.

They eventually reached Professor Oak's office, which actually was the entire third floor, and now they stood next to a metallic desk that had a red device and eleven shrunken pokeballs. And this made Ash frown again. He knew that the red device was a pokedex, a digital encyclopedia that could be used to scan pokemon with a lot of precision. But why did Professor Oak only had one when there were four kids supposed to be starting today?

Professor Oak coughed and that gained Ash's undivided attention. "I'm going to be honest with you Ash. I actually told you to come earlier than Gary, Zack and Leaf today." Ash's eyes widened in realization and Oak gave a small smile. "I see that you were at least suspecting something like that."

Ash shook his head lightly. "I thought that the others were just late but that didn't explain why you only had one pokedex and exactly eleven pokeballs. It's obvious that you were expecting only one of us, me specifically as you just pointed out, but why?" He asked with a frown on his face.

Oak reached into his pocket and presented Ash with a plain, red and white pokeball. "It's essentially because of this. Delia is aware of the fact that you wouldn't mind which Pokemon you started with and she decided to acquire this one for you in light of certain circumstances that she is going to make you aware off. Since this Pokemon is quite rare I knew that the others were going to be jealous of you and claim that I was playing favorites but that is not the case here since it was your mother who did this."

Ash nodded his head before he took the pokeball from Oak's hand and tapped the release bottom. Anxiety and nervousness swelled up in his stomach as the white energy soon began to form a medium sized, bipedal shape. His eyes widened when he saw a small, blue, canine pokemon. It had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws. It had a black "mask", with long, black prostitutions framing its face and red eyes. It was standing on its toes instead of its entire foot.

Ash immediately recognized the pokemon as it shook its head and took in its surroundings: a riolu. They weren't exactly rare since the Kingdom of Rota in Kanto was known to house a clan of riolu and lucario and they were commonly seen in Sinnoh too. What was rare, extremely so, was for them to be seen accompanying a trainer since the riolu line were known to be empathetic and if they didn't find a trainer worthy, they were not going to let themselves be captured.

And believe it or not, there were almost no trainers worthy of the companionship of a riolu or a lucario these days.

Ash ignored Oak's expectant and calculative look as he knelt down, finally getting the undivided attention of the jackal like pokemon. Its red eyes were fixed on his and Ash couldn't shake off the feeling that his own soul was being judged. Those red eyes looked at him blankly but ash refused to look away. He wanted to get this riolu's respect and he need to how strength in character and the unwillingness to back down.

A gleam of approval appeared in the riolu's eyes before it moved towards him with graceful steps that simply astounded him. When the riolu was practically on his air bubble, it raised its right arm and pressed its palm into Ash's chest before closing its eyes. The appendances on its head rose and they began to gently float and Ash felt riolu's presence inside of him and he gasped as images flashed through his mind at a fast pace.

 _Kindness: Ash Ketchum you are, indeed, kind. Your love for anything living is something very hard to find nowadays._

 _Humility: Ash Ketchum, your humility, although forced by your female progenitor, is one of your main traits._

 _Intelligence: Ash Ketchum, your intelligence surprises me for it is a respectable quality within you humans._

 _Dedication: Ash Ketchum, your dedication to reach your goals is the reason why…_

… _You are worthy._

Ash gasped again and he took in a deep breath and he looked down to see Riolu looking up at him with warm, red eyes full of acceptance. The black haired boy couldn't help himself and he wrapped his arms around Riolu, and he laughed when Riolu did the same. Somehow, Ash knew that Riolu was beyond happy and he knew that what Riolu wanted the most was to find a companion: A friend that would stay by his side through everything. And Riolu found that in him.

And Ash was more than sure that he also found that in Riolu.

They separated from the hug and Ash stood up and Riolu took a standing position by his right flank. Oak noticed that Riolu looked just perfect there and he was sure that that spot was for ever going to belong to him. He smiled genuinely at them. "It seems like Riolu found you worthy of his companionship but I knew that it was going to happen. You are a kind and intelligent young man, Ash and I'm sure that Riolu saw that immediately." There was another reason why he knew that was going to happen but that information wasn't going to leave his mouth anytime soon.

Ash looked down at Riolu, noticing that the lithe pokemon almost reached his mid thigh, and he smiled in fondness. "I'm going to make sure not to let him down and be there for him always. I'm sure that we are going to be great friends, right?" He asked Riolu, even though he already knew the answer and as he expected, Riolu nodded his head while looking up at him with a similar look on his eyes.

Oak's smile widened at the display before he schooled his features and coughed into his hand. "Well, since that is out of the way, here," said Oak as he handed Ash the pokedex and the twelve shrunken pokeballs, which he clipped into the magnets of his belt. "I'm sure that you know how to use the pokedex. It's already configured with your info and linked to the League database to handle winnings and loses from battles." He then gave ash a stern look. "You are aware of your limitations right?"

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah. A pokemon trainer can carry up to twelve pokemon on his person but he or she most only use up to six on any pokemon battle. We can get our licenses revoked if we abuse of it," said Ash and it wasn't like it bothered him. He wasn't planning on catching a bunch of pokemon and twelve just seemed like the right amount for him. In the past the limit had been six but the League soon realized that the more pokemon a trainer carried on his person, the more he or she was likely to survive out there. And since trainers nowadays were more prepared they were given more responsibilities. A bigger number of allowed pokemon was one of those.

Oak nodded his head. "It seems like you are ready to go. Good luck Ash and remember to keep me up to date with your progress. I know you are going to go far." The 'just like your mother and father' was not said out loud.

Ash nodded his head and pocketed the Pokedex. He was going to scan Riolu later. "Alright. Thanks for everything Professor Oak. I'll make sure to keep in touch regularly and I will make sure to represent Pallet Town to the best of my abilities. I promise you that," he said before he bowed, an action mirrored by Riolu, before they were both out of the lab.

As he stared at his back, Oak couldn't shake of the nostalgic feeling deep within his heart.

 _He is going to go the farthest of us all._

He witnessed it a long time ago after all.

XxXxX

The moment Delia saw her son walking into the house with a riolu in tow, she gave an humongous sigh of relief that was noticed by Ash and his new friend too, who cocked his head to the side in confusion as the feelings of pride and happiness were the most distinct within the myriad of emotions this human was giving off. Ash's eyes widened when his mother ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him a strong hug.

Riolu just continued to look at the scene with some confusion.

"Oh my god Ash! I'm so proud of you!" She said with some happy tears trailing down her face as she tightened her hold around Ash's frame. "I thought that you wouldn't be found worthy because you weren't directly exposed to the original teachings but there was nothing I had to worry about! You are worthy!" She claimed with so much happiness that it made Ash also give small, and confused, smile of his own.

"Mom, umm, I don't really know what is going on. Can you explain it to me?" Ash asked at best as he could since his mother was basically trying her best to force all the air within his lungs by her hug. He was sure that he was turning blue right now.

Delia quickly released him, allowing him to regain his breath, and she wiped away her tears. "I'm sure you are very confused right now, honey but I will explain it right now." When she got Ash's undivided attention, along with Riolu's, she started her explanation. "We are originally from the Kingdom of Rota here in Kanto." Ash's and Riolu's eyes widened to size of dinner plates. "I grew up there with my parents until I decided to become a pokemon trainer when I turned twelve. When a boy comes of age, that being twelve, they receive a Riolu as their companion. Normally, a man from Rota wouldn't go out of the kingdom and go on an adventure since their oath is to stay within Rota and protected it with their lives."

There was realization on Riolu's eyes and he was now looking at Delia and Ash with a new gleam on is eyes. It was almost reverent. Ash, however, was still confused. "Okay, so we are from Rota. That's a very big deal. But we are not there, so…" He trailed off as he signaled to blue and black jackal that stood at his right side diligently. "Why am I receiving a Riolu if I'm not going swear my live to the protection of that Kingdom, even if you and I are technically a part of it?"

Here Delia smiled with profound sadness and it surprised Ash. Riolu looked at her with some concern as he could feel her emotions running rampant within her. "The current queen and I are very, very good friends Ash. You could say we are almost like sisters. When she found out I had a son, with the man I loved and that also helped the Kingdom in times of peril, she insisted on you following the tradition. The Council of Rota was not against it so it was very easy for us to procure him." She nodded at Riolu who was now looking at her intently. "The rest depended on whether or not you were found worthy of his companionship."

She had made sure her son cultivated the traits that were characteristics of the knights of Rota all this years: Kindness, Humility, Intelligence and Determination. With his love for pokemon and anything living, along with the fact that he didn't think himself as anyone's better, his high intelligence and dedication to learn, Delia didn't know why she worried too much about her son not being found worthy by a riolu.

Ash blushed as he heard the pride she had for him in her tone and he rubbed the back of his head. "Well this is a lot to take in but I guess I can live with it. I would give my thanks to the queen and the council if I could but I have my own goals to reach first. I'm going to participate in the Indigo Conference and go as far as I can. I will go personally to Rota after I do so and they will see that their thrust was not wasted in me," he said with conviction and a smile on his face.

Delia was almost moved to tears but she reined them in. She handed him a yellow backpack and some fingerless black and red gloves that he slipped on. "You should head out now. Viridian is two days away and you should cover up as much terrain as you can." She then gave him a stern look that was eerily reminiscent of the one Professor Oak had given him. "Remember that while you must train your pokemon hard you must also let them rest. You also must train with them." Her stern look turned towards Riolu. "Make sure he doesn't slack off, okay?"

Riolu straightened up and nodded his head before he barked a sharp affirmative as he pounded his chest. Ash just grinned at his mother as he adjusted his backpack and then his hat. "You don't need to worry about any of that mom. I'll make sure to train hard along with my pokemon but I'm not going to become a harsh and cruel trainer. Hard work and rest are needed in tandem to get the best results, right?" He asked her cheekily.

Delia tried to keep up her stern expression but she couldn't after seeing the look on Ash's face. She giggled before she wrapped her arms around Ash once again but this time it was softer and more meaningful. "Take good care of yourself and your pokemon Ash and they are going to take good care of you. Call me always when you reach a pokemon center and keep me updated on what is happening and future plans so I don't get too worried," she almost pleaded him with a thick voice.

Ash felt a lump on his throat but he swallowed it as he smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother. "Of course I will mom. I'll always keep in touch. I promise," he said softly as he tightened his hold on his mother. Riolu watched them with concerned eyes. He could feel the sadness and nostalgia coming from them and while there was also happiness, the first two feelings were the most prominent of the three.

The two of them soon separated from their embrace and Delia waved him off towards the door and smiled as she tried her best to stop the tears from falling but she was doing a poor job at it. Ash smiled with some sadness but his excitement was still prominent so he just nodded at her before he went out of the house. Riolu stayed for a second and patted Delia reassuringly on her leg before he was out too.

And as she watched him go Delia couldn't help but cry. She was happy and at the same time sad. But this was her son's dreams and she would rather kill herself than prevent her dear son from doing what he dreamed. And she was going to support him all the way. That was what mothers did.

XxXxX

"Alright! I think this is a good spot!"

Riolu looked around them and he inspected the clearing with critical eyes. The sun shone brightly in the sky, showing that it was very well past noon judging by its position and how the shadows created by them were exactly below them. The clearing they were in at the moment had many tables and chairs that were put there for travelers that walked across this route and it was located a few meters away from the main road.

Ash decided that it was time to get some lunch and for him to see what Riolu was capable off so he could determine on what to work with him. Lunch was a very mundane affair as they ate some sandwiches Delia had prepared for them; he shuddered at the thought of knowing that he was going to be living off of ration bars from now on.

The walk up to this point was done in comfortable silence. Riolu and Ash already shared a bond that was beyond mere trainer and pokemon so there was not a need to 'know each other better. They were friends. They were partners. They were companions. They already understood one another.

Ash looked down at Riolu and he pulled out his pokedex before he flipped it open. "I'm going to scan you now to see the moves you now. Then we are going to test them and see what we can improve on. Does that sound good?" Riolu nodded simply and Ash smirked before he pointed the pokedex at Riolu. There was a beep and then a male, mechanical voice was heard.

Riolu: The Emanation Pokemon. Its body is lithe yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night. t has the peculiar power of being able to see emotions such as joy and rage in the form of waves. This Riolu is male and has the ability Inner Focus. He knows the moves: Endure, Quick Attack, Foresight, Counter, Force Palm and Blaze Kick. Note: Blaze Kick is an egg move.

Ash brought down his pokedex and looked at Riolu with wide eyes. The blue and black jackal pokemon couldn't help but puff of his chest in pride. It seemed like his move pool had impressed his new friend and he couldn't wait to show them off and see if Ash approved but had worked hard to learn and master them to his own satisfaction so he was sure that Ash was going to be proud of him whatever happened.

"Wow Riolu! You certainly know a bunch of moves! Let's test them out," he said before he stopped. He looked down at his pokedex and rummaged through it before he looked sheepish. "Well it says here that endure is a move which helps you take attacks better and you need to be attacked first to use counter. And foresight let's you predict attacks so you can evade them better. I guess we can only test out quick attack, force palm and blaze kick until we find someone to battle," said Ash before he shrugged and pocketed the pokedex.

Ash looked around the clearing before he turned towards Riolu. "Mmmm, use quick attack to do some laps around here. I want see how fast you are," he said and Riolu nodded before he shot off in a blur. Ash smiled as he could see Riolu moving around the clearing surrounded by streaks of white energy. While he was certainly fast he was sure that Riolu could be even faster so it was something they were going to work on.

Ash raised his hand. "Alright stop! I've seen enough." Riolu stopped a few feet away from Ash and he waited for his opinion. "Your quick attack is pretty good but I'm sure we can make it faster. The best way to do that would be to have you run around while using quick attack to strengthen your muscles, right?" He asked for confirmation and Riolu nodded, pleased with Ash's analysis. "Let's see force palm now. Use it against a tree."

Riolu nodded his head and he sprinted towards a random tree and pressed his palm against its bark. Not a second later and Ash's eyes widened when the bark cracked and a fist sized indent was made into the trunk of the three. Ashy grinned at the sight of that and Riolu inspected his handiwork with approving eyes. That technique had a lot of potential they could capitalize on and he was sure that they just needed to grind it constantly to make it stronger.

"Alright Riolu. I just need for you to use Blaze kick on that same tree now," called out Ash and Riolu nodded his head before he took a few steps back. Riolu then crouched slightly and jumped forwards pulling his leg back before it was ignited in flames. Riolu's leg snapped forward in a graceful roundhouse kick and Ash's eyes widened in complete and utter shock when the flaming kick snapped the fairly thick tree in half.

Ash covered his ears to protect his senses from the booming sound but the grin never left his face as he stared at Riolu who was staring nonchalantly at the tree. He was sure that Riolu managed to break the tree because of his previous use of force palm on it but it didn't make it the less bit impressive. In the few seconds that it took Riolu to pad back to Ash on his two feet gracefully, Ash decided in what they were going to work on and how.

"You should start with the laps around the clearing using quick attack all the while until you get tired and rest for some time and then go back to that. You do that for half an hour and then work on the strength of your force palm, building up the power a little each time so you keep control of it. I think you shouldn't use the threes around here…" Ash trailed off before he looked around and he snapped his fingers before he pointed at a thick boulder near the edge of the clearing. It was as tall as him and many times thicker. "You should use that for that and when you are done, rest and then work in blaze kick in the same manner. We should start meeting trainers tomorrow so we are going to be able to test your other techniques."

Riolu nodded his head in acceptance before he looked at Ash expectantly. Ash returned the look with a confused one of his own before it eventually dawned on him that Riolu wanted for him to train alongside him. Ash thought about it for a moment and shrugged. He was not stranger to physical activity and he was sure that by doing this, he could bond further with his pokemon. Not that he needed to do that with Riolu, but it was going to be easier for him to do so with any other pokemon he caught if he got used to it by now.

Ash laughed before he pulled his vest and polyester shirt off, exposing his slightly defined and thin upper body. "Well, I suppose there is no harm in training by your side." Ash got a determined look on his face and he smirked. "Let's work hard, Riolu!"

Riolu barked an affirmative before he shot forward, his body covered in streaks of white light and Ash fallowed behind as he began to sprint across the clearing. There was a grin on his face and he doubted that it was going to go away anytime soon; no matter how much idiotic it may make him look.

XxXxX

"Mankey, use karate chop!"

Ash grinned as he gave his own command. "Endure and counter!"

It was early on his second day as a trainer and it hadn't taken too long for him and Riolu to find their first battle. A young trainer, around his age, had spotted them and had demanded a battle the moment he had spotted Riolu. It was not a common thing to see one fight and the excitement he could see on his opponent's eyes made it all clear that he was enjoying himself as much as Ash was.

There was an angry rumble coming from the pig monkey pokemon before it shot forward, eyes wild with rage as he brought its glowing paw back to deliver a powerful blow to Riolu. The blue jackal held his ground, just as Ash commanded, and raised his own upper right limb to block the attack. Riolu grunted as he successfully did so and then his body was outlined by a red shine before he surged forward with a hit of his own.

Mankey's eyes widened and it grunted as it was sent flying back to his trainer and Ash's grin widened. Endure and counter were complementing of each other. With endure, Riolu absorbed the power of the strike and with counter, he harnessed the power he absorbed and then liberated it in a powerful blow that was twice as strong as the blow received. Ash was sure that he was going to perfect that combo with Riolu and make it a part of his battle style.

Ash's opponent had awed eyes as he pointed at Riolu who looked calm and collected. "Focus energy and go for a fury swipes!" Mankey shook of the powerful blow before it stood up and it was surrounded by a white outline of energy before it shot forward with glowing claws.

Ash knew that Mankey didn't have long range attacks so it was forced to keep getting in close but that just worked on their favor. There was another move he needed to test. Endure and counter had worked perfectly and those moves would only grow if they were used in battle which he was going to make sure he did. "Foresight."

Riolu nodded his head in a calm fashion before his red eyes began to glow just in time for Mankey to close in and it began to swipe its glowing claws at Riolu wildly but gracefully. Fighting types had a natural grace to them that they instinctually performed so it wasn't surprising that even in its rage Mankey could keep up that grace. Riolu, however, was on an entire different level as he began to evade all of Mankey's attempts to attack him.

Ash's friend danced around the strikes, evading them without any wasted moment and by a wide enough margin that he didn't overstretch since he needed to build up the momentum to keep dodging continuously and without issue. Ash frowned when Riolu's eyes stopped glowing, making the blue and black jackal do a double take which resulted in taking a direct hit to the chest. Riolu growled as he retaliated with force palm that caught Mankey directly in the chest and sent it flying back, unconscious.

Ash smiled as he gave a thumb up to Riolu, who looked down at his chest and winced as the spot he was hit was still tender. It wasn't strong enough to draw blood but still stung quite a bit. As Riolu walked back towards Ash, the black haired trainer decided that they were going to also work in the time that Riolu could keep up Foresight, until it just became second nature to keep it up for as long as he needed it.

He grinned and patted him on the head, getting a pleased growl from his friend. "Good job buddy! You just won our first battle. Endure and counter are pretty good but we are going to work on perfecting that combo. We are also going to work on the duration of foresight," said Ash and Riolu nodded in agreement. He knew that he did very well on his first official battle but there was always room to improve.

Ash's opponent recalled his fallen pokemon walked up to Ash with widened eyes. "Holy crap man! That riolu of yours is very strong. I don't think you are going to have any troubles with Brock," complimented the boy as he kept looking at Riolu with almost shining eyes.

Riolu nodded his head at the praise and there was a proud glint on his eyes but he stayed cool for the most part. Ash was more vocal about it. "Thanks." He then got a curious look on his face. "How far is Viridian City from here?"

The boy just pointed towards where he had come from. "You should be able to reach it if you walk directly that way and follow the river in a few hours. You should know that you can't challenge the gym there until you have seven badges. Giovanni doesn't accept them if that is not the case."

Ash nodded his head in thanks before but he began to walk in that direction with Riolu in tow. He seemed to have forgotten by the scratch that Mankey caused to him. It was that or Riolu was simply ignoring it in hope of keeping up his image of a calm, cool and collected individual. Ash snorted but since it wasn't anything serious and it was not going to get infected anytime soon, he decided not to do anything about it. It was going to heal completely in a few minutes anyways.

He stopped suddenly as his pokedex blipped and he brought it out getting a confused look from Riolu who also stopped to stare at him.

Ash Ketchum has won the battle against Austin Broomer. In light of your victory two hundred and forty three pokedollars have been transferred to your account. Keep up the good work.

Ash blinked in surprise at that and grinned. He had momentarily forgotten about the fact that with every time he won, he would get a sum of money for his victory. This was done so as to encourage trainers to keep getting better since he doubted that anyone would want to be poor just because they slacked off. And it certainly worked to motivate trainers to be the best they could. Ash wasn't sure how the League kept track about the battles but he supposed it had something to do with their pokedexes and trainer IDs. He wasn't complaining though and he gave a massive grin at Riolu.

"Let's find us some more people to beat."

XxXxX

Ash handed Riolu a sandwich and he smiled at the jackal who almost greedily, but composedly, snatched it out of Ash's hand and began to take steady bites out of it. "We are on a roll today Riolu. If we keep this up you are going to master all of your moves in no time and you'll be ready to learn new ones," complimented Ash as he reached into his back pack and pulled out a sandwich for himself.

Riolu swallowed the mouthful of sandwich he had on his mouth before he barked in agreement and then he was bat to focus on his treat. Ash smiled as he looked down at Riolu, leaning back into the tree and absently taking bites of his own sandwich. Riolu had done a pretty good job at fighting every foe they had encountered. The only one they had some trouble with was a feisty little pikachu that due to its electrical attack was difficult to get in close but thanks to the use of foresight, Riolu had managed to get in close with minor scrapes and had delivered a devastating blaze kick.

Ash decided that he wasn't going to battle more with Riolu and that they were going to focus on reaching Viridian as fast as they could so Riolu could be checked on the Pokemon Center. He was just going to stay for a day there to get the supplies he needed for the Viridian Forest. There was no need to stay longer than that and Ash was excited about getting his first badge so that was another factor to consider. He could do the training needed for Brock while he stayed in the forest which was going to be for about one and half weeks to two weeks.

Ash was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Riolu give an indignant bark and he looked up to see him glaring at a pidgey that was a few meters away from then on the ground. Ash noticed that it was bigger than normal, so that meant that it was nearing evolution. The pidgey had a gleeful, fierce gleam on its eyes as it reached down with its beak and ate the last bit of sandwich which he knew had been previously on Riolu's possession.

Ash grinned. The pidgey looked powerful and he knew that a Pidgeot would be an excellent addition to the team he was going to build. They were powerful and they were fast. So it was no wonder that he made the decision to catch it. "Quick attack!"

Riolu smirked before he shot forward in a blur of blue, black and white. The pidgey only had time to widen its eyes and shriek sharply before it was hit and sent tumbling backwards in a heap. Ash noticed the gleam on Riolu's eyes and he smiled nervously. Pidgey had made terrible mistake when it stole Riolu's sandwich and it was going to pay.

It didn't take long for the pidgey to regain its bearing before it glared fiercely at Riolu. It flapped its wings and it took to the skies before it zeroed on Riolu who barked furiously. The pidgey shrieked in anger before it shot forward and its wings began to glow faintly. Ash grinned as he recognized the wing attack and that sealed the deal. This pidgey was going to become a part of his team.

"Breaker!" Ash called out as the pidgey descended on Riolu at decent speeds. 'Breaker' was the name he had come up for the combo of endure and counter because it essentially did that. The technique broke the enemies attack and since Riolu retaliated with an attack twice as powerful it also broke the limits of the attack he took to perform the counter. In his mind it fit rather well.

Riolu kept his smirk in place and he raised his arms just in time to catch the surprised pidgey. Riolu grunted and growled as he was pushed back a few feet due to the momentum of the strike but he held his ground perfectly. The eyes of the canine and the avian met for a second before riolu glowed red and then delivered a devastating kick into the pidgey's chest.

The tan bird was sent flaying back with a shriek of pain and it landed on the ground, rolling to a stop and it didn't look like it would get up. Ash grinned with delight as he reached for a pokeball and enlarged it before he chucked it at the fallen bird. When the ball passed by pidgey, it stopped and opened before it sucked in the avian in a white stream of energy and snapped shut. It shook for two times before it dinged.

"Yes!" Ash shouted and he opened his palm. The ball floated back to him and he looked at it with happy eyes before he showed it a Riolu who looked at it, trying to look indifferent, but there was an interested gleam on his eyes. "We caught another friend for us Riolu and it is going to be a great addition to the team! What do you think?" Ash gave Riolu an expectant look as he clipped his pokeball to the magnet that was next to the one that was holding Riolu's.

Riolu looked indignant at the thought of that thieving bird becoming a part of their team and Ash snorted in amusement. "Get over it," he said with a laugh. "I'll give you another one." Ash laughed when Riolu apparently forgot about his previous vehemence at pidgey being a part of the team. His eyes were even looking up at him happily as his tail was wiggling, probably even unconsciously. Ash laughed more.

Ash's laugh was cut short, however, when he heard the rumble of distant thunder and he looked up to see a few gray clouds in the sky. He looked towards the horizon and he spotted the dark clouds nearing towards his position. He hurried towards his backpack and strapped it on before he turned towards Riolu. "Let's head towards Viridian. I don't want to be caught up in the rain."

Riolu nodded in agreement before he followed his trainer and friend.

XxXxX

Ash and Riolu reached the Viridian Pokemon Center when the rain began to fall down upon them. Other than a feisty red haired girl wanting to battle, which he politely declined since he didn't want to get caught up in the rain (and it turned out to be a good idea since he just made it in time) and an Officer Jenny stopping him when he entered the city to inquire about Riolu, who he had returned to his pokeball, there wasn't anything remarkable on the last few moments of his trek to Viridian.

As he walked towards the counter, he spotted a few trainers that gave him some cursory looks before they dismissed him. Ash shrugged at that and approached the pretty pink haired woman, who he recognized as Nurse Joy. She smiled at him warmly. "Good afternoon young man. How may I help you?"

Ash nodded at her with a smile on his own, her cheerfulness sipping into him. "Good afternoon to you too Nurse Joy. I just need a room and for you to give my pokemon a check up," he requested politely as he unclipped the two pokeballs from his belt. He decided that for convenience sake it would be the best option to put the other ten pokeballs on his backpack.

Joy nodded cheerfully. "I will be more than glad." She put a trail containing six slots on it. "Just put your pokeballs in here and we are going to make sure your pokemon are at one hundred percent in no time at all." She then reached down beneath the counter and produced a key that he handed to him. "The rooms are on the second and third floor. Your room is two hundred and thirteen on the second floor. When your pokemon are ready we are going to call you over the intercom. Is there anything else you need?"

Ash took the keys from her hand and nodded at her. "Yeah. Where can I make a call?"

Nurse Joy helpfully pointed to a door nearby that was labeled 'Video call room'. Ash smiled sheepishly and nodded at her in thanks before he watched her go towards the back with his pokeballs. Ash then shifted his backpack and then moved towards the room he had been pointed at and slipped inside. He found several booths that had a chair with a screen that had a phone attached to them. He sat on the second booth as the first one was occupied by a blonde girl and promptly dialed his house.

There were only a few rings before the line was picked up and the beautiful face of his mother was presented to him through the screen. Her visage lit up and she smiled happily at the sight of him. "Ash! It's so good to see you even if it is through here. How are you honey?"

Ash smiled at her fond tone and answered her question. "I'm doing pretty good mom. I just reached Viridian, but don't worry, I managed to get inside the Pokemon Center before it started raining. How is it going over there?"

Delia got control over her excitement at seeing her son as she answered. "You know how is always here. I'm just taking care of the house and the restaurant with Mimey's help. I'm sure you've had a more exciting two days, right?" She asked him teasingly and with an interested glint in her eyes. "How is Riolu? Are you guys getting along well?"

Ash nodded his head happily. "Well the first day wasn't as exciting as the second one since we only trained the whole afternoon. Today we battled a lot through the morning and in the afternoon a caught a pidgey. Riolu and I are getting along more than great mom," he said with a grin. "He loves your sandwiches, by the way." He snickered a little. "Poor guy. What do you think will happen when he starts eating pokemon food?"

Delia laughed heartedly at that and she was joined by Ash. "I suppose when that happens he will be heartbroken. Make sure you come back here soon so I can make him more sandwiches," she said wistfully and Ash nodded. She soon got a stern expression on her face. "You aren't working him and yourself to hard, are you?"

Ash gulped and shook his head almost frantically. "Of course not! Whenever he is tired Riolu takes a good rest before he continues training and I don't force him to battle when he is pass his limit. I'm taking good care of him mom, I promise," assured Ash waving his hands around to emphasize his point.

Delia looked at him like that for a few seconds before she smiled and nodded. "Alright." There was a ping over the phone and Delia's eyes widened. "I would like to talk more Ashy but I'm working on a new recipe for the restaurant. Remember to stock on everything you need before you head into the Viridian Forest and keep both your pidgey and Riolu out at all times. I love you!"

Ash only had time to instinctively reply that he loved her too before the call was ended. He stared at the black screen for a few moments in bewilderment before he shrugged and dialed Professor Oak's number. It wasn't seven yet so the professor was still working so he should attend the call at the moment.

Just like Ash supposed Oak picked up at the fourth ring. The old man's eyes lit and a small stretched across his face at the sight of him. "Ash, my boy! How are you?" Oak asked as he put something aside that Ash couldn't quite see.

Ash ignored it as he smiled at his sponsor. "I'm pretty good Professor. Mom told me things were not exciting over there. Is that true?" He asked with amusement. His mother tended to exaggerate on some stuff so he wanted to confirm was she said.

Oak chuckled as he knew this and he nodded his head. "She indeed told you the true. Other than you, Gary, Leaf and Zack leaving for your journeys, the town has been quite dull. So…" Oak trailed off as he looked into Ash's eyes. "Did you catch any pokemon? Gary bet that you wouldn't," said Oak with some amusement on his tone.

Ash snorted at that but nodded his head in affirmative. "I caught a pidgey that is nearing evolution. I haven't talked with it or scanned it with the pokedex yet since I hurried to Viridian after I caught it because I noticed the storm. It and Riolu are healing at the moment but I will make sure to do it before I go to sleep."

Oak hummed and nodded his head as he cupped his chin. "You did well on catching a pidgey. While they are generic pokemon, well trained Pidgeots are very good and fierce battlers. Make sure to earn its respect as fast as you can since you said is nearing its evolution and it will be harder to do so if it is a pidgeotto." Ash nodded he head. He understood Professor Oak's point. "How's that Riolu of yours?"

Ash grinned. "His is very well. We haven't lost a single battle yet and we are already working on strengthening his current move set. When he masters them I'm going to help him with new techniques," said Ash, some cheekiness evident on his tone.

Oak frowned a little. "Don't let that fact go to your head, Ash. One grandson of mine is enough," said Oak with a tired sigh but his tone was full of fondness. "What techniques are you going to teach Riolu after his masters his current move set?"

Ash waved him off. "Don't worry about me becoming another Gary. Mom would kill me if that happened," said Ash with a nervous chuckle and Professor Oak laughed. "As for what moves I was thinking about teaching him… brick break and double kick." If Riolu could master those techniques to the point in which he could keep them on for indefinite periods of time then he would be set until he evolved, when he could learn steel type techniques.

Oak nodded. "Good choices. Make sure you don't work your team too hard but don't slack off either as those things are both detrimental to correct development. You have to balance training and relaxation to get the best results," advised Oak before he looked down at something on his desk. "It was good to talk to you Ash but I must return to my work. Don't forget to call every once and again, alright?"

Ash nodded and said goodbye before the call was ended. He stood up with a sigh and stretched his limbs, groaning when some bones on his back popped before he moved towards the door. His eyes widened in incredulity when the same girl from before was still on the phone. He tried his best to ignore that but he couldn't help but ask himself how much time had she been there talking to whoever she was talking to.

He shrugged his shoulders after he went out of the room and moved to go towards his room on the second floor but as he was passing the counter, he saw Nurse Joy coming out of the back with the trail containing his two pokeballs. She beamed as she saw him stop in front of it she handed him that two red catching devices. "Your Pidgey and Riolu are on perfect health. They only need a good night rest and they will be at a hundred percent," she chirped.

Ash nodded at her in thanks before his clipped his pokeballs and moved upstairs towards his room. He quickly found it and slipped inside. He noticed that it was significantly bigger than his own room back at his house in Pallet Town. It had a bed shoved into the corner, a chair and a desk and there was a metal pole with a perch for bird pokemon. Ash sighed in relief as his backpack slipped off his shoulders and fell on the bed dully.

Ash quickly released Riolu and the blue and black jackal shook his head before looking up at Ash. He barked and waved his blue arm in greeting and Ash rubbed his head, earning a pleased growl. "How are you feeling bud?" Riolu inspected himself and after a minute nodded at him with a bark. Ash took that as a sign that he was good. "Nice. Look. We are going to earn pidgey's respect now. Can you help with it?"

Riolu nodded his head and Ash stood up and his first friend positioned himself at his right, slightly in front of him in case the pidgey tried to do something funny. Ash took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he tapped the release bottom on Pidgey's pokeball and human and pokemon watched as the white energy condensed into Pidgey's form.

The tan bird chirped as it shook its head to get rid of the disorienting feeling that occurred after being in a pokeball for the first time. It ruffled its feathers before quickly spotting him and Riolu standing in front of it. The pidgey glared at them fiercely and puffed up its chest in defiance but made no move to attack. It seemed like the bird new that he was caught but there was still some fight left in it.

Ash made himself look taller to the pidgey by also sticking up his chest and leaning forward. The pidgey deflated a little when Riolu growled at it but there was still a fierce glare on its features. "Look Pidgey. I know that you don't like us that much right now but I'm sure we can work our differences. I have a proposition for you," said Ash.

Pidgey got an interested gleam on its eyes and chirped but the glare was still in place. Ash grinned. "I want you to be my and Riolu's partner. I promise that we can help you get strong enough to become a pidgeot and I can also provide a steady income of food. In exchange I just want you to be our friend and for you to listen to me. What do you say?"

Riolu growled a few things at the Pidgey when the glare refused to let go of the Pidgey's face but after Riolu ended talking to it with a sharp bite after the pidgey chirped in uncertainty it nodded its head in acceptance. Ash grinned and hesitated before he stepped forward and crouched in front of the pidgey. The tan bird flinched but let Ash stroke its crest. It's eyes widened and it chirped in pleasure before looking up at Ash with interested eyes.

"I promise to take care of you," whispered Ash and Pidgey chirped softly. Ash then reached towards his pocket and pulled out his pokedex, which he flipped open and pointed at pidgey, who looked at it warily. "Don't worry. I'm just going to scan you to see what techniques you know." Pidgey chirped again, understanding and let Ash do that. The pokedex beeped before the male mechanical voice was heard.

Pidgey: The Tiny Bird Pokemon. PIDGEY has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings. It rapidly flaps its wings in the grass, stirring up a dust cloud that drives insect prey out into the open. This pidgey is male and has the ability Keen Eye. He knows the moves: Quick attack, sand attack, gust, whirlwind and wing attack. Note: Pidgey has the egg move Brave Bird but has not been unlocked yet.

Ash whistled and Riolu looked on interested as Pidgey puffed op his chest in pride. Ash grinned and he tenderly stroked Pidgey's small crest, getting a pleasured chirp in response. "I know you were going to be a nice addition to the team." He then turned stood up and addressed both of his pokemon. "We can worry about training tomorrow. What do you guys say about a nice hot dinner?"

He got an affirmative chirp from Pidgey and Riolu nodded his head. He winced slightly when Pidgey flew and perched himself on his shoulder, his sharp claws clinging firmly onto his flesh but thankfully not penetrating his clothes and into his skin and drawing blood. It seemed like pidgey already had enough self control not to cause him harm.

Riolu still gave the bird a disapproving growl and pidgey chirped and apology but he waved them off as he went out of the room and closing it behind him. Menial thinks like that failed to bother him and he decided that having pidgey perched on his shoulder would lead to the both of them to establish a bond the much quicker and it seemed like Riolu understood that too.

XxXxX

The next day during the early hours of the morning, Ash stepped out of the supply shop, Riolu at his right flank, with his backpack feeling a few pounds heavier. He had purchased a few potions and paralysis heals for his pokemon that would last him a minimum of two weeks in the forest. The place was full of bugs and it was better to be safe than sorry. He had also filled with backpack with ration bars, water and food for his two friends that would last him the same amount of time if he was smart about them.

As he walked north towards the edge of the city Ash finally took his time to admire Viridian. The city was definitely big and while it didn't have the enormous buildings that were common in Celadon and Saffron it still possessed a characteristic modern feel to it. The people were friendly, even if they stopped in their tracks to gawk at Riolu who took the stares in stride. Ash liked the city enough to look forward to the time he would come back to challenge Giovanni.

He had already registered for the Gym Circuit of this season before he went to eat dinner the day before and he was looking forward to face the most brutal Gym Leader in all of Kanto, with only Sabrina and Lt. Surge matching him in brutality. He knew that he would have to step up his game since the gym leaders would use lesser pokemon until he got his third badge and then all the bets would be off but he was sure that he could pull it off before the time of the Conference, which will take place roughly a year from now. That was more than enough time to build up a powerful team.

Ash stopped when he found himself in the outskirts of the city and he could see the thick edge of Viridian Forest in the distance. He released Pidgey from his pokeball and he looked down at the expectant bird. "We are going into the forest. I want you to keep a sharp eye for people and bugs inside, alright?"

Pidgey chirped and nodded before he flapped his wings and with a small gust of wind he was flying overhead. He was sure that he at least he had the bird's respect but he wanted for them to be even closer than that. He wanted for him to have a deep bond with each one of the pokemon he caught and he was going to try his hardest to make that a reality.

He looked down at Riolu who staring straight ahead with eager but patient eyes. When he felt Ash's eyes on him he looked up and he nodded when Ash grinned at him and motioned with his head. Ash laughed and began to walk forward. He nodded his head. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

 **And this is the rewrite of Aura Master. As you can see this is very different and it was done for one sole reason: Ash's and his team's development. In the previous version they got too strong too fast and it was like things just happened like some Deus Ex Machina (Ignore the fact that I have a story called Deus Ex Naruto). I want to develop ash and his team in a proper way.**

 **Since I wanted to do something different I decided to don't go with Pikachu and only gave Ash Riolu as a starter and I found the explanation for this to be good enough. And yes, Ash has Aura and Delia knows that he has the potential to use it but we are not going to see it for some time. It didn't show in this chapter but this world is darker and I'm going to make sure to portray it at the best of my abilities.**

 **As for Ash's future team… you will have to wait and see. I decided to take a different approach and have him build up a team that will be well versed in both raw power and estrategical thinking. As I pointed out and showed, Ash is very intelligent (he has to be knowledgeable in order to be able to be allowed to go on his journey) and while he does like raw power, which was also showed, he will know that strategy and planning are also fundamental parts fora balanced and well built team.**

 **Please point out anything that I should fix or praise me as you rightfully should do in the reviews as I need someone other than my mother to stroke up my ego further than what it already is.**

 **Love y'all.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I'm still crying on the corner of my room and I still do not own pokemon. I don't even own the handkerchief Satoshi Tajiri gave me to clean off my nose from all the mucus. I don't even own my mucus since it is on his handkerchief now.**

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 **Fuck my live.**

* * *

"Butterfree! Use confusion!"

Ash grinned as he crossed his arms. "Keep moving and use gust," he replied calmly as he stared at the battle going on. Pidgey chirped an affirmative before he ducked under the blast of psychic energy that would have ensnared him. Pidgey shrieked before starting to flap his wings rapidly to create a wall of wind that surged forward and hit Butterfree who squealed in pain as it was thrown backwards by the super effective attack.

It had been two days since he had entered the forest and it had been an interesting, albeit underwhelming, experience. The place was littering with bugs and while their numbers could be overwhelming, Riolu's use of Blaze Kick along with his foresight and quick attack, which were getting stronger after each training session and each battle, made quick work of them and kept them safe.

Pidgey had been also of great help as he'd flown just below the canopy scouting for trainers and bugs, which he feasted on, much to Ash's slight disgust as Pidgey tended to be messy when feeding. Pidgey had also taken very good to training and battling already working rather well with Ash. They were proving it right now as they faced against the third Butterfree that day.

The bug catcher, a teen with blue eyes and black hair, watched worriedly as his big bug type steadied itself in the air. It was damaged after Pidgey's gust attack as bugs were weak to flying type attacks due to their frail body structures and this was true for all the bugs that could be found in Kanto except for scyther and pinsir. "Poison powder and sleep powder! Use whirlwind!" The bug catcher called desperately.

Butterfree squealed loudly before its shook its body to release a mist made up of green and purple powder that surged towards Pidgey at fast speeds due to the posterior usage of whirlwind. Ash frowned at this. "Use your own whirlwind," he said in a normal tone of voice. He quickly found out that it hurt Pidgey to scream too loudly due to his sensitive ears. Pidgey could even hear him if he muttered his words.

Pidgey gave an annoyed and indignant chirp before he decided to show the bug type how a real whirlwind was done. He began to flap his winds furiously and the mist of green and purple stopped a few feet from reaching before it was sent back even faster due to the more powerful winds created by a true flying type. Butterfree were considered flying types too but it was just because they could fly and it was their main form of transportation.

Ash winced when he realized that the poisonous cloud was sent in his opponent's direction. Those spores could be possibly lethal to a human since the physiology of a pokemon was many times stronger and more durable than that of a human's. He breathed a sigh of relief when he watched the trainer he was facing cover up his mouth and nose and close his eyes as the cloud passed by him and his butterfree. The spores weren't going to affect the insect because they were produced by it.

Ash quickly capitalized on his advantage and decided to go for the win. "Quick attack into wing attack!"

Pidgey chirped in victory as his eyes gleamed dark with glee as he shot forward surrounded by streaks of white light in a straight line towards his opponent. Butterfree's trainer only had time to open his mouth to order a counter technique or call for an evasion but it was for naught as pidgey rammed his glowing wings into Butterfree's abdomen with tremendous force. The big butterfly like pokemon with rotund red eyes could only give a squeal of pain before it pummeled limply towards the ground.

The bug catcher had a nasty scowl on his face as he recalled his defeated pokemon in a flash of red. He gave Ash a very dark look and he seemed like he was about to match forward but Riolu jumped forward and stood protectively in front of Ash, growling in a threatening fashion and daring the trainer to do whatever he thought he could get away with doing. The bug catcher faltered for a second before he scurried off but not before he gave Ash another nasty glare.

Ash frowned but said nothing as Riolu turned towards him and the black haired trainer nodded at his first friend in thanks, getting a nonchalant nod in return from the blue and black jackal. Ash heard a chirp and he grinned as he brought his arm up and held it in front of him as a perch. Not a second later Pidgey perched himself there and chirped as he puffed his chest out. Ash had to make some effort so as to keep his arm up because of the bird's weight.

"That was fantastic Pidgey! You are quickly becoming the bane of the existence of all bug type trainers already," he said with amusement and he laughed when Pidgey's chest puffed up more. It seemed like Pidgey took some kind of sadistic pride on being the bane of the existence of every bug type in the vicinity.

Ash heard Riolu snort and he looked down to see Riolu giving Pidgey and exasperated look. Pidgey chirped in a very nonchalant manner before he was back to preening much to the continuation of Riolu's head shaking. The 'banter' made Ash laugh even more. Pidgey and Riolu got along fairly well despite of how they met and while Pidgey didn't care too much about Riolu, his first friend tended to disapprove of some of the tan bird's behavior.

Ash shrugged it off. If it didn't come to blows then he didn't really care on how his friends interacted with each other. "Enough of that you two," said Ash and immediately they stopped. Ash was sure that he had the respect and friendship of Pidgey when he showed both strength of character and fulfilled his promise of training and a steady income of food although for the last part he just let Pidgey go hunting for his food which he knew was more appreciated than the other option: premade pokemon food.

Riolu occasionally gave him the evil eye because there were no more sandwiches.

Ash grinned at both of them. "I guess we should rest here," he said as he looked around the clearing. It wasn't exactly a clearing since the canopy blocked most of the run rays but it was big enough to do some training and rest from walking. "I want you guys to spar with each other so you can improve your techniques. Riolu you work on extending the time of foresight. You can keep it up for almost a minute now but I want you to be able to use it for as long as you want without trouble. Pidgey I want you to work on doing both quick attack and wing attack at the same time. You are almost getting it so I expect you to finish it in a few days."

Ash then walked towards one of the trees at the edge of the clearing and deposited his bag there. He stripped himself from his upper body clothing and walked back to Pidgey and Riolu who were still giving him expectant looks. "When you both get tired rest until you feel fresh and keep doing that for the rest of the evening." Ash then gave Riolu a disturbed look. "Can you tell me if I'm doing it right now?"

Riolu nodded his head and watched expectantly as Ash separated his feet until they were a little wider than the shoulder. Ash then brought his right leg back and litter and brought up his left arm up until it covered some of his upper body and then he raised his right arm until his curled hand was parallel with his chest. Ash took a deep breath before he twisted his hip and right leg and the same time and let some air out from his mouth sharply making a short 'shhhh' sound.

Ash turned to Riolu with an expectant look and he grinned when the jackal nodded in approval before he began to also make the same motion Ash did multiple times before he gave Ash a urging look. The black haired trainer looked at his first friend with wide eyes. "You want me to keep repeating that? How many times should I do so?"

Riolu shrugged his shoulders before he pointed at himself and pidgey. Ash understood that he was supposed to do that for as long as they battled and that he would get to rest with them. The black haired trainer sighed before reluctantly he began to punch the air repeatedly with the same fluid motion as before. He ignored Pidgey's gleeful and amused look and Riolu's snickering and concentrated on his own trained.

How was he convinced of doing this again? Oh. Right. He was stared by both of them (Ash was sure Pidgey probably did so because Ash's disturbed look amused the little deviant) for thirty minutes until he relented. While he didn't see the point on learning on how to throw a punch properly he decided that it didn't hurt as it was way for him to train with his pokemon with stuff other than running laps and doing pushups and sit ups.

It was certainly more fun too.

XxXxX

In Ash's mind, the Viridian Forest was too much overestimated. It made for a perfect spot to train his friends in many ways and there was no shortage of trainers to fight but he couldn't really see the dangers of which many others spoke. He didn't know if he was biased towards it but his friends did more than a superb job at keeping the bugs away from him. They knew better than to get close to Pidgey and Riolu could scare them away with just igniting his leg in flames.

In the past week his friends had gotten stronger due to all the challenges and training they had faced even if almost all of them were against bug type pokemon but they were still challenged by the odd trainer that was going through the forest with pokemon other than bugs. There were a few his own friends couldn't overcome and they were defeated soundly those few times but Ash assured them and himself that after every fight, whether they won or lost, they would always get experience and become stronger.

Pidgey could safely perform quick attack and wing attack at the same time and it became an integral part of the way he fought. They were working on learning agility but they were having some problems. Agility was basically and advanced and prolonged form of quick attack but instead of being an enhancement of the body, it was an enhancement of the mind. Pidgey subconsciously limited himself when trying to go faster but agility would break those limits and take pidgey to new heights of speed. Ash was sure that if Pidgey evolved, which he was sure was going to take place in the next few days he would find the mental fortitude to use agility.

Riolu had expanded his use of foresight until he could keep it up for as long as he wanted in the past week thanks to the constant battling and training Ash had him do and now was mixing it up with force palm and blaze kick to make the technique even stronger. It was turning out to be easier than they thought it would be since Riolu only needed to build up the energy he absorbed into those specific techniques which he already had mastery of. They only needed to time it right before it was battle ready but that was just a matter of trail and error.

Ash looked up when he heard a shriek and he smiled at Pidgey who flapped his wings to scare off some bugs. He would have chased after them to get a meal but he had already eaten so he was just going to make sure they were far from his trainer. It made Ash smile as he realized the he's got Pidgey's complete alliance and the tan bird was working himself over the make sure that he was safe.

Ash suddenly a growl from Riolu and he looked down just in time to see his black and blue canine jumping in front of him to intercept a sword strike that would have probably cleaved him in half with a flaming kick. The user of the sword, a slightly heavyset boy that was probably his age wearing samurai armor, yelped as the sword was forced out of his hand harshly and he backed away when riolu snarled furiously at him.

Ash took a deep breath to try and get a hold of his rapidly beating heart. "Stop that," he told to Riolu firmly and his first friend stopped snarling but he stood protectively in front of Ash. There was a flutter of wings and Pidgey flew down and perched himself on Ash's shoulder. The tan bird shrieked furiously, making Ash wince at the sharp sound, and glared heatedly at the samurai boy.

When Ash got a hold of his emotions he glared at the samurai who still looked ready to flee in case Riolu pounced on him. "I don't know what made you think that it was a great idea to attack me with a sword of all things when I had a pokemon at my side," commented Ash evenly as he have said sword a cursory glance. It was steaming and glowing red because of the contact with Riolu's blaze kick.

The samurai shifted slightly and Ash got the sense that there was a sheepish look on his face. "I was merely trying to test you in order to see if you are worth challenging to a pokemon battle," he said before he brandished a pokeball. "And you have passed the test! Have a battle with me!"

Ash sighed and he rubbed his temple. "If you wanted a battle all you had to do was ask…" He muttered low enough to only be heard by Pidgey and Riolu, both of whom snickered at the now ridiculous situation. Ash met the samurai kid's eyes through his helmet and he nodded. "Alright. I accept your challenge," he agreed easily as he stepped back until there were more or less forty feet in between them.

The samurai kid threw his pokeball to the air and Ash's eyes widened slightly when a pinsir formed in a flash of white energy. It hissed and crushed the gigantic pincers that rested on top of its head and glared at Ash and his friends with its red eyes gleaming darkly. It pounded its chest and hissed a challenge once it spotted the forms of Riolu and Pidgey as it took a threatening step forward.

Ash took in the form of his opponent and furrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation. While more frail than other Pokemon, Pinsir were still though because their exoskeleton was very hard so that meant that while Pidgey could take it on, this was a more suited for Riolu. Since Pinsir were formidable a close range then they could test Riolu's foresight to its limit right now. It was an opportunity that they couldn't let go to waste.

"You are up Riolu," said Ash with a nod to his friend and Riolu stepped forward taking on a ready position and barking his own challenge before growling at whatever Pinsir hissed to him. Riolu glared at his opponent, ready for whatever happened.

Samurai nodded his head in approval before grandly pointing at Riolu. "Get in close and use vice grip! Then submission!" He shouted and Pinsir hissed its understanding. The brown, massive bug type began to run towards Riolu and the pincers on its head began to glow faintly as they were filled with power. Pinsir leaned his charging body forward as it hissed again, ready to crush Riolu between its main weapons.

Ash kept his composure. "Foresight. Hit it with blaze kick at the first opportunity," he said simply and Riolu nodded his head before his eyes began to glow as he rushed forward to meet Pinsir. The brown bug tried to crush Riolu between its pincers but it failed by quite a lot as Riolu used his momentum to jump over the attack and the attacker. Riolu landed in a soft crouch behind Pinsir and turned around just in time to evade an attempt to grab his arm.

"Try to get a hold of it with vice grip first!" Shouted the samurai kid as he pumped his arms grandly and when it heard him, Pinsir clicked the teeth of its oval shaped mouth before the pincers began to glow again and it moved towards Riolu with its body lowered.

Ash crossed his arms and didn't give any order and this meant that Riolu was supposed to keep doing as he said first which was understood. Riolu kept foresight going and got ready to dodge the straight forward attack but instead of jumping over it, Riolu dodged to the side nimbly and smirked at the opportunity he made for himself. His eyes stopped glowing as his right foot sparked with red hot flames before it surged forward in a roundhouse kick.

The attack hit Pinsir on its right side and it hissed in pain as it was sent rolling towards its trainer. It stood up angrily, wincing as it cradled the scorch mark that was left in the wake of Riolu's super effective attack but it looked like it could still fight. The Samurai pumped his fist and pointed at Riolu who activated foresight again. "Hit it with a Hyper Beam!" He declared grandly once again.

Ash eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at hearing the famed, ultimate technique being called out. He would think about how a trainer like the samurai got hold of a technique like that later as instead he focused on his first friend as Pinsir began to charge up an orange ball of energy in front of its mouth. "You have to dodge that!" He cried sharply moving out of the way since he was directly behind Riolu and he was on the path of the attack. Pidgey, still perched on his shoulder, flapped his wings to steady himself as Ash moved.

Riolu barked and he braced himself just in time for Pinsir to his and then fired the hyper beam in a single blast of orange energy. Riolu, thanks to the use of foresight, managed to dodge the hyper beam by a wide margin and the powerful attack kept screaming into the woods and there was a rumble in the distance followed by an explosion that forced Ash and the samurai to cover their ears.

Ash was about to shout at the samurai kid for his recklessness when his body froze and his chest tightened in dread when he heard a buzzing sound coming from where the explosion had come from. He saw Riolu rapidly approaching him with a snarl on his muzzle and he felt Pidgey living his perch on his shoulder as he flapped his wings, nearly hitting him on the back of his head, as he ascended with a sharp shriek.

Ash didn't even turn towards the buzzing sound as he turned on the opposite direction when a swarm of Beedrill came barreling towards them. "Run!" He cried desperately at the samurai who fell into step slightly behind him after he recalled his tired Pinsir. Ash looked down to see Riolu running at his side and then he looked up to see that Pidgey was flying just overhead keeping a furious eye on the incoming Beedrill.

"I'm sorry!" The samurai called out repeatedly as he pushed himself to escape. They could hear the attacking swarm closing on them and they knew that they couldn't escape forever. They would have to eventually fight back somehow and pray for their survival. Beedrill were notorious for using lethal force against those who wronged them and judging by the scorch marks on some of them, they were wronged by Pinsir's hyper beam.

Ash ignored the continues pleas of the samurai in favor of sharply turning towards his right just in time to see a Beedrill zeroing on him with its stings posed to impale him. Riolu also took of notice of this and the blue and black emanation pokemon snarled before he jumped in between Ash and the charging Beedrill and delivered a nasty blaze kick that sent it back from where it came from in a smoking heap. It didn't get up or as much as twitched.

Ash looked up at pidgey. "Buy us some time with whirlwind!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and he was answered by a sharp shriek before he heard the familiar sound of his bird pokemon flapping his wings. When he felt the strong winds passing overhead he slowed down to a stop, noticing that they were on a narrow, small clearing. Samurai stopped at his side and both of them turned to see the Beedrill being pushed back by the winds but they were holding strong.

Ash turned towards samurai. "Release all the pokemon that you have now!" He shouted because he knew that they couldn't hope to beat this amount of Beedrill with only Riolu and Pidgey. They needed more firepower and they needed it now.

Samurai shook his head. "Pinsir get exhausted after he uses hyper beam twice and I only have a newly evolved Metapod as my other pokemon!" He and he moved back and yelped as the winds created by Pidgey subsided and the Beedrill once again flew towards then with stings raised.

Riolu snarled and his eyes glowed red as he used foresight before he surged forward to meet them. Ash cries to stop felt on deaf ears as _both_ of Riolu's legs ignited in flames and he began to lay hell on the numerous Beedrill who tried in vain to ram their stings through the emanation pokemon but they weren't able to do so because Riolu could predict all of their moves. The adrenaline coursing through Riolu's body made his body break previous limits but Ash doubted that it was going to be enough to stop so many Beedrill.

Ash suddenly heard a buzzing sound behind him and he turned around and his eyes widened when he saw a sole Beedrill glaring menacingly at him and the samurai kid through blood red eyes that gleamed. It hissed before it raised its stings and shot towards them at high speeds. Ash knew that Riolu wouldn't be able to save him as he was too occupied fending off the other Beedrill as best as he could. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge in time so he closed his eyes and braced himself for impact.

There was a furious shriek and an intense white light that he could even see through his closed eyes. There was another shriek, this time deeper and more powerful before he heard a single flap of wings, felt the rush of winds and then heard a dull thud a few feet away from him.

Ash opened his eyes to see the Beedrill that threatened to skewer him flattened on the ground, twitching pitifully as it hissed, glaring at him failing to move its crippled wings. Ash heard another flap of wings and he turned around and looked up and his eyes widened when he saw the magnificent bird that now hovered a few feet above of him. It had a large crest and a wing span of almost eight feet. Ash recognized the fierce, furious gleam on its eyes.

Pidgey had evolved into Pidgeotto.

It gave a powerful shriek, deeper and certainly more threatening than anything he had managed as a Pidgey, before it glared at the swarm that hovered in front of them warily. Riolu stood in front of them panting and one of his eyes closed. There were many Beedrill twitching and unmoving on the ground but there were many more still willing to fight. Ash saw that Pidgeotto opened his beak and wind began to swirl in front of it and his eyes widened.

"Riolu come back here!" He shouted and Riolu nodded before he jumped back with all the strength he had left. Ash returned him as he collapsed to the ground and he looked up again just in time to see Pidgeotto sending a wide funnel of winds at the swarm of Beedrill with a furious shriek. Ash recognized the attack as twister and he supposed the Pidgeotto learned it when he evolved which was not an uncommon occurrence for a pokemon to learn a new move when that happened.

The swarm of Beedrill was buffeted and badly damaged as they were hit by the raging winds of Pidgeotto's technique. When the bird of prey stopped feeding power to his technique he glared bloody daggers at the remaining beedrill: less than half of what they originally were and shrieked at them once again. The beedrill hesitated for a moment before they hissed and turned back and flew into the forest.

Pidgeotto shrieked again before he flapped his wings and flew down towards Ash. The black haired trainer winced and almost buckled under the bird's weight and the strength in which he gripped his shoulder but he held strong. Pidgeotto chirped softly and Ash winced again at the terrible sound but he raised his hand and stroked his glossy wind.

"Thanks," he whispered softly and Pidgeotto chirped again looking down at him with soft eyes full of concern. Ash looked around the clearing and ignored the downed beedrill that were left to fend for themselves by the swarm. Ash doubted that they were killed and they would heal eventually so he ignored them as he glanced down at the pokeball that contained Riolu. "Let's go. We are very near to Pewter and Riolu needs healing."

Pidgeotto nodded his head and Ash winced as he was slightly scratched when the bird went up with a mighty flap of his wings that smacked him lightly in the back of the head. He also ignored the samurai, who had been looking at him with wide eyes, and he walked away in direction of Pewter City. He would reach the famed City of Stones in a few hours so he wasn't going to stop for nothing now. His first friend needed him.

Pidgeotto shrieked overhead and the samurai stared dumbly at Ash's back as the black haired trainer walked into the forest.

XxXxX

Ash walked through Pewter City briskly as he made his way towards the Pokemon Center. He had returned the newly evolved Pidgeotto just when he entered the medium sized city and after getting directions from a strange man selling rocks of all things he had started walking at a brisk pace towards the Pokemon Center. He noted with some bemusement that this was the second time in a row in which he went into a city and didn't appreciate its design the moment he first arrived but he couldn't really help it as the first time it happened the sky was about to fall down on him and the second time, that time being this one right now, one of his friends needed to see a doctor.

It didn't take Ash very long to reach the closest Pokemon Center as it was located at the edge of the city so if there was an emergency in the outsides of the city they would be reached more easily. Cities had more than one Pokemon Center and more than one hospital in them because this way they could up the efficiency in which healthcare was kept on them. This project was recent and while it cost a lot of money to the League it had been worthy because the death and permanent injuries tolls had been significantly reduced.

Ash slipped into the Pokemon Center and walked directly towards the counter where Nurse Joy was waiting for him. The Joy Clan of Nurses and the Jenny Clan of Police Officers was widely known across the world for the single reason of all of its female members looking alike and all of them being the one in charge of pokemon centers and police stations respectively. There were many conspiracy theories about them (the most outrageous but more believable at the same time was the one about all of them being genetically generated by the league).

The pretty nurse smiled at him in welcome in front of her. There were only a few other trainers in the Pokemon Center and all of them were just lounging around the TV area a few feet away. "Good evening! How may I help you?"

Ash tried to smile at her but he couldn't because of the exhaustion he felt but he was going to at least be cordial. "I need a room and for you to check up on my friends. We were attacked by a swarm of beedrill in the Viridian Forest and while I didn't spot any kind of wound on them I don't want to take risks," he told her tiredly but with some urgency on his voice as he put the pokeballs containing Riolu and Pidgeotto on the counter.

Nurse Joy got a worried look on her face as she took the pokeballs and nodded at him with resolution. "I'm going to make sure your pokemon are thoroughly checked over and we are also going to apply a strong antidote to them just in case we miss something." She paused before she handed him a key. "We are going to make sure to call you over the intercom. This won't take whole lot but please make yourself comfortable over the lounging area," she said before nodding at him and making her way into the back through the door.

Ash sighed before he pocketed the keys that were given to him. He made his way towards the slightly occupied TV area before he took off his bag and put it between his legs before he let himself fall on one of the empty couches. He managed to spot a few trainers giving him sympathetic looks as they probably knew how he was feeling before he pulled down the bill of his cap to cover up his eyes.

Ash sighed again before he leaned back into the couch. He knew that he wasn't supposed to feel guilty about what happened as it was not he who caused the swarm of beedrill to attack them but he couldn't help but think like that. Riolu and Pidgeotto were his responsibility and it was his job as their trainer and friend to make sure they were safe at all times. He was well aware that had not been for Pidgeotto's evolution the outcome would've been very different.

He was aware that he needed to call his mother and Professor Oak to inform them of what happened but he was too tired to bring himself to do it right now. He was going to do it tomorrow though after he won his first gym badge, if Nurse Joy told him that Riolu was fit to battle. If Riolu wasn't available for tomorrow he would need to wait until he was because using Pidgeotto, even if he knew that his second friend was very strong, the type advantage was too significant.

The gym leader, Brock, used rock types and Pidgeotto wasn't on a level in which he could overcome type advantage yet so he was going to go with Riolu on this one. He could head out to another Gym if he so wanted but if Riolu's condition was too delicate he was not going to risk his friend's well being so he was going to wait anyways so might as well, in case Riolu wasn't going to be up for the challenge tomorrow, wait until he recovered and challenge the gym here.

"Ash Ketchum please come pick your pokemon."

Ash heard the call and he hastily stood up, absently picking up his bad and strapping it over his shoulders, and he walked towards the counter with a hopeful expression on his face. It hadn't been too long so that mean that his pokemon weren't injured too badly but he wasn't going to get his hopes to high. The reassuring smile on Nurse Joy face did a lot to calm his nerves though.

"How are they?" He asked urgently as he took his pokeballs from her and held them tightly against his chest as he looked down at them with worry.

Nurse Joy smiled at his tenderness. "Your Riolu was just very, very tired. It seemed that he pushed himself over what he was capable off but that shouldn't affect him on any bad way. Your Pidgeotto was also just tired but not as much as Riolu and since I noticed he recently evolved I believe that was the reason. Both of them will be at a hundred percent tomorrow so I would suggest they sleep outside of their pokeball," she told him with a smile on her face as she folded her hands in front of her.

Ash smiled in relief and looked up at Nurse Joy with grateful eyes. "Thank you very much Nurse Joy. I really appreciate what you did for us," said Ash sincerely as he bowed at her before he clipped his pokeballs onto his belt. He was going to release both of his pokemon once he went into his room.

Nurse Joy just waved him off with a chuckle. "Don't be silly. I was just doing my job," she then got a worried expression on her face. "You look very tired. You should eat something and go rest right way," she suggested with the same worried expression on her face never leaving her face. Nurse Joy didn't only worry about pokemon. They needed to also make sure trainer were at their hundred percent so they could take care of their pokemon the best they could.

Ash nodded his head and thanked her again before he made his way up to his room. He deposited his backpack next to the chair and shrugged off his jacket and took off his hiking boots and sat on the bed. Ash took a deep breath of the slightly cool air of the room, which was basically the same as the one he was given in Viridian, before he grabbed the two pokeballs on his belt and released his two friends.

The white energy that indicated the release of a pokemon died down and ash smiled softly as he took in the forms of his two friends. Pidgeotto, who was now slightly taller than Riolu, looked proud and ready for anything but there was a clear note of exhaustion on his fierce eyes. Riolu, on the other hand, while also looking ready for anything, was hunched forward and his eyes were dropping but he refused to succumb to his exhaustion.

Ash let himself slip to the floor and he chuckled when Riolu quickly shot forward and hugged him tightly. Ash patted his first friend on the head and reached with his other hand to stroke Pidgeotto's crest making the bird gave a soft chirp as he 'jumped towards him to get closer to him. There was a moment of silence before Ash decided to speak up.

"I want to thank both of you for saving me today. If it weren't for you guys me and that kid would've been killed by those beedrill. Thank you… with all my heart," said Ash with a big smile on his face as he hugged Riolu tighter into him earning a pleased growl. Pidgeotto just scoot closer and rubbed his forehead against Ash arm and cooed softly.

The three of them stayed like that before the moment was interrupted by Ash's stomach which was followed by the stomachs of Riolu and Pidgeotto. Ash chuckled and Riolu also snickered and Pidgeot got a sheepish look on his face. "I guess we are all hungry. I'll go get us some food. Do you want to go hunting Pidgeotto or would you prefer some handmade food for once?" Ash asked curiously as he stood up and he was sure Riolu didn't protest because of the promise of food.

Pidgeotto chirped slightly before shaking his head. He fluttered his wings before he perched himself on the metal bard that came out of the wall and resting comfortably there. Ash understood. "Alright then I'll get food for all of us but after that we are going directly to sleep. We are all super tired and we have a gym battle tomorrow." His friends' eyes gleamed when he said this. He had told them of his desire to challenge the gyms all over the region and they were all supportive of him and even looked forward to the challenges. "The gym here in Pewter uses rock types so that means I'm going to use Riolu."

Pidgeotto huffed and chirped in annoyance but it seemed like understood. At the moment he couldn't really damage a rock type so he the only thing he could do was dodge their attacks but rock types had more stamina than flying types naturally so that was also out of the question. Pidgeotto understood that he could be put at risk of he was used tomorrow so that was why he was only annoyed by it.

Riolu barked an affirmative and then pointed at himself and then before at Ash before smirking. Ash shared the smirk and nodded at Riolu who barked once again. "I'll go get the food now. Wait for me here," Ash said to them with a smile and his two friends nodded at him before he was out.

Riolu then turned on Pidgeotto and gave the bird a bow and a look that conveyed gratefulness for evolving to save him and Ash. Pidgeotto's eyes widened at the gesture before his naturally sharp eyes softened before he cooed at Riolu. The black and blue jackal smirked and barked before pointing at himself and then at Pidgeotto, who smirked with his eyes, chirped and then nodded at Riolu who barked again with the smirk still in place.

Outside of the door Ash, who was leaning against the door, smiled before he pushed himself forward and began to walk to the cafeteria. It seemed like more good things other than Pidgeotto's evolution had resulted from this ordeal with the beedrill and Ash wasn't going to complain.

XxXxX

Ash walked through Pewter City at a sedate pace as he enjoyed the sights and the cool air of the early morning. Since he had woken up really early due to going to sleep equally as early he had entertained himself waiting for the time he knew most gyms opened up to receive challenges by devising possible strategies he could use against Brock depending on what pokemon he chose.

Ash knew that since he was a newbie trainer who just started Brock wouldn't use his famous onix against him since it was reserved for more experienced trainers but that didn't mean he didn't have anything to worry about. Brock was a very competent trainer that was elected by the League to protect Pewter City, a city that was just slightly smaller than Cerulean City, from anything. Pewter was the city in charge of mining operations in Kanto and it was an important asset for the economy of the region. That wasn't a responsibility given to anyone out there.

Ash arrived to the Pewter City Gym and he was honestly impressed by it. Not so much by its structure but the fact that it resembled most traditional buildings in Pewter that were made out of stones and wood, which was obvious since they had the Viridian Forest and mines surrounding it. The more advanced buildings made out of metal were at the center of the city and they served as the local headquarters for the league and important businesses.

The Gym building resembled a high and wide warehouse that extended a few hundred feet away from the road. The front of it was made out of stones and wood while the rest was made out of metal. Ash stood in front of the double doors and he stared at them for a few seconds before he released Riolu, who barked in greeting. Ash had walked through the city with him inside of his pokeball for the sake of not drawing attention towards himself. He wanted to reach the gym today after all.

Ash kneeled in front of Riolu and rubbed his head getting a pleased growl from his first friend and he smiled at him. "This is it buddy. Let's give it our best shot and remember, no matter the outcome, I'll be proud of you," said Ash reassuringly as he kept rubbing the top of Riolu's head.

Riolu barked at him and pointed at Ash and then pounded his chest with a smirk in place and eyes gleaming with confidence and desire to prove himself. Ash chuckled before he nodded at his first friend who then took his rightful place at Ash's right when the black haired trainer stood up. He took a last deep breath to calm his nerves before he opened the door and slipped inside, Riolu at his side, and then closed the doors behind him.

Ash and Riolu walked forward and they looked around the large room with impressed eyes. The battlefield itself was made out of rich soil and there were many big boulders located randomly. The arena for some reason was surrounded by ice but he supposed that it was done to somehow keep the material that made up the arena of the Gym in its best condition but he wasn't sure. For all he knew the ice was there just because it looked good. And it certainly did in Ash's opinion.

"Who goes there?" Asked a slightly deep voice and Ash turned to one of the boulders to see a dark skinned young adult with brown spiky hair wearing a vest walking from behind it. Ash noticed that his eyes were naturally squinty but his disposition was friendly as he regarded Ash with a small smile on his face.

Ash walked forward until he stood inside the trainer box that belonged to the challenging trainer. "My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I've come here to challenge Brock for my first badge," said Ash with confidence on his voice. Riolu gave an affirmative bark at his side.

The young adult's smile widened as he regarded Riolu before he looked straight into ash's eyes. "That's a very interesting Pokemon you have there. May I ask how did you come across it?" He asked curiously as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Ash looked down at Riolu with a soft smile on his face and Riolu looked up at him with happy eyes. "He was given to me as my starter roughly two weeks ago when I began my journey. Let's just chase that instead of me choosing him, he chose me," said Ash with a chuckle as he petted Riolu on the head getting a pleased growl and a bark.

Brock smiled warmly at the display. "I can see that you have a deep bond with your pokemon even if you have so little time with him. That is always an inspiring and beautiful thing to see," said Brock before his smile became a challenging smirk. "I suppose that you are going to use him against me then?" He asked casually as he turned around and walked to his own box before turning around with the smirk still in place.

Ash matched the smirk as he quickly deduced that he had been talking to Brock all the time and he nodded his head. "You are right. The only other pokemon that I have on me apart from Riolu is my pidgeotto who recently evolved and using him against you would be just cruel to him as he doesn't have the skills to counter rock types yet. That is going to change in a while though," said Ash and Riolu barked again and nodded his head as he pointed at Pidgeotto's pokeball on ash's belt.

Brock nodded his head in understanding before he brought out a pokeball. "That won't be a problem. Since this is your first gym battle you and I will only be using one pokemon in a one-on-one battle. The first pokemon to knock out the other wins. There won't be a time limit. Do you agree with these rules?"

Ash nodded his head that he did before he looked at Riolu. "Let's win our first badge buddy. You know what to do," said ash with an encouraging smile and Riolu barked up at him before he jumped and landed in front of Ash inside of the arena. He barked challengingly at Brock and took a ready stance as he smirked at the gym leader.

Brock's smirk turned into a grin as he released a bulky graveler that roared and pounded its round, hard chest with its lower limbs as it stretched the upper ones, flexing its fingers at the same time too. Ash noticed that this graveler didn't look as mean as the species were portrayed to be and its eyes, even in the face of an oncoming battle, were full of warmth and its natural smirk was gentler than the ones he saw in pictures. Brock's graveler spoke of the gym leader's skill as a trainer and how he was as a person.

They both waited for the psychic barriers that were standard in gym and conference battles for the safety of the trainers to rise up at the edges of the battlefield before they issued a command. The barriers, probably created by an alakazam or a hypno that was currently out of sight, shimmered into existence before they were made invisible to their eyes.

Brock was the first one to give an order to his pokemon. He pointed at Riolu. "Rock throw!" He bellowed and Graveler nodded with its whole body before it rammed its two upper limbs, which were significantly larger than the lower ones, into the soil and pulled out a chunk of rock of considerable size. The rock pokemon smirked at Riolu before it hurled the big rock directly at the blue and black jackal.

Ash's eyes widened in excitement and he gave his own order. "Evade it and quick attack into force palm!" Riolu heard him clearly and he jumped diagonally to the right, successfully evading the hurled chunk of rock. Ash flinched when the barriers shimmered into existence once they blocked the rock from going out of bounds but his attention went quickly to Riolu who was now running towards the graveler with white streaks of light trailing behind him.

Brock crossed his arms over his chest. "Match him with mega punch. Don't let Riolu hit you," he said calmly and Graveler once again nodded. Once Riolu reared his right arm back, his palm glowing with the power of his technique Graveler also reared its right upper limb back and its fist was also enveloped in white energy. The two pokemon brought their arms forwards and they clashed right in the middle. There was a shockwave as the power of force palm was released and the black and blue jackal smirked as graveler grunted and flinched slightly.

That smirk, however, was whipped away from Riolu's face as he suddenly was smacked hard by Graveler's other upper arm right in the face. Riolu growled in pain as he was sent back flying due to the force of the attack but he managed to right himself with a back flip before he landed nimbly on his feet. Riolu brought his left hand up to touch his pulsing nose and he grimaced at the pain before glaring at graveler who was looking both sheepish and smug at the same time.

Ash saw this and he frowned at the fact that Riolu was hit. That didn't happened too much because of how proficient he was with foresight but his first friend wasn't using the technique at the moment since he had theorized that due to its size graveler would be slow enough that Riolu would be able to evade him without using foresight but he had been wrong and Brock got the first solid hit. Ash wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Keep foresight up! Look for an opening!" Ash ordered and Riolu nodded before his eyes began to glow. Riolu barked a challenge at Graveler and the rock type rumbled in response as it pounded its chest with both upper hands. The battle was still on.

"Rollout!" Brock called out and Graveler gave a chuckle before it tucked its limbs into its body before surging forward in a rapid roll directly towards Riolu who stood his ground calmly as he stared at the incoming Graveler. Ash felt the floor tremble lightly and he grew worried but he was sure that Riolu could evade that attack. He was using foresight and as long as he kept it up he was virtually untouchable by close range techniques.

Ash's thoughts were proven truth when at the last possible second Riolu nimbly jumped to the side, the rolling rock type pokemon passing by him by a significant margin. Ash grinned but that soon was whipped out of his face when graveler made a sharp turn without stopping and went directly towards Riolu again who turned around so as to keep Graveler always within the range of his predicting technique. Riolu once again evaded the charge but at the same time Graveler kept up the attacks without difficulty.

As Riolu and Graveler continued the proverbial game of cat and mouse as began to think furiously on a way to stop graveler from using rollout because he wouldn't win until they managed to do it. Riolu couldn't keep up dodging for long but it seemed like Brock's graveler was specifically trained to use this normally mundane technique but proving his skill as a trainer worthy of the title of Gym Leader, Brock managed to turn it into an effective weapon.

Ash clicked his tongue when he saw Riolu evading another attack and landing next to one of the boulders. He perked up an analyzed Riolu's surroundings as fast as he could at the same time Graveler turned to attempt hit his first friend once again. He had found a way to stop Graveler. "Riolu! Jump to your left!" He shouted and he saw Riolu's ear twitching and that meant that he had been heard.

Riolu's gleaming eyes glared at the incoming Graveler and he jumped to his left just as Ash had told him to and he landed in front of a big, sturdy looking boulder. Riolu also perked up when he noticed this and he smirked once he realized what Ash intended. He stood his ground and waited for Graveler to close on him again before he jumped over the rolling Graveler with a graceful front flip and turned around his body before he landed just in time to see Graveler hitting the boulder head on.

The earth shook slightly as Graveler was forcefully stopped by the big boulder and the pokemon slowly rose to its feet and shook its head. It didn't really hurt but the sudden and forceful stop was enough to confuse the rock type slightly. Ash however was going to capitalize on that opportunity. "Force palm!" He shouted as he pumped his fist.

Riolu barked before he surged forward with his glowing palm. Brock's eyes widened. "Mega punch!" Graveler barely turned around in time in order to match Riolu's attack with his own and another shockwave originated from the point of contact. Graveler was actually pushed back this type due to it not having the steady footing it had when they'd clashed the first time in the same manner and the rock type hit the boulder harshly once again.

Graveler flinched and the arm that it had used to block Riolu's attack with mega punch was shaking in pain and there was a grimace on Graveler's wide face. Riolu was also pushed back due to Graveler's immense physical strength combined with the shockwave but he managed to regain his footing by back flipping and landing gracefully on his feet. The black and blue jackal gave a smirk at his opponent as he locked eyes with it.

Seeing this ash decided to take the initiative. "Force palm again!" Ash shouted and his eyes gleamed as he realized that victory was within his grasp. He felt pride over the fact that Riolu could seemingly go toe to toe with a gym leader's pokemon even when they only had a few weeks together. He was sure that Brock was holding back a good deal since he was still a newbie trainer, albeit a very talented one, and he needed to test him on a specific level but that was exactly the fact: He was on the level he needed to be right now. And now he had to prove that he could exceed that level by beating Brock right here, right now.

Brock frowned and his eyes got squintier if that was possible. "That isn't going to work! Use rock smash with your other arm!" Graveler gave a pained smirk before it raised its left upper arm and the rocky appendage got outline by an orange hue. It pounded its chest with its two lower arms and glared at Riolu with angry eyes. It seemed like hurting Graveler was enough to snap it from its earlier friendly disposition.

When Riolu was about to reach Graveler, who had its left arm reared back in order to counter Riolu's attack, Ash called out his real command. The one he had wanted to use the moment he was sure it was ready for a real battle. "Force Breaker!" He shouted triumphantly and he was never going to admit to anyone but himself, his pokemon and his mother that he took some sick glee on seeing the confused and slightly alarmed expression Brock's face.

"What?"

That was the only thing that came from Brock's mouth before Riolu and Graveler clashed techniques again. This time there was no shockwave as instead of releasing the energy stored within his palm he used the molding abilities of endure to redirect that energy along the one he absorbed from Graveler's attack towards his other palm with was cocked back along with his entire arm. Riolu smirked at the shocked Graveler as his body was outlined by a pale orange hue and his palm glowed brightly with the same color before the black and blue jackal lashed forward with it.

The attack hit Graveler right in between his lower limbs and the pokemon flinched noticeably and its eye grew wide but there was no sound coming out of its wide opened mouth. And then Riolu released all the pent up energy he had harnessed and the eyes of Brock and Ash widened when the resulting shockwave was strong enough to make the psychic barriers shimmer into existence as they blocked said shockwave along with debris and dirt. There was a harsh 'crack!' and the boulder exploded away from Riolu and Graveler in a shower of small rocks that hit the barrier and got destroyed even further.

Riolu panted heavily as he stepped back and he kept his eyes on Graveler as the rock pokemon fell on his feet after the boulder was destroyed. The rock type stood there not moving anything and there was a blank look on its face before it flinched slightly, making both Ash and Riolu tense, before it simply fell forward and hit the ground with a dull thud kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Brock sighed in defeat but there was small smile on his tanned face as he recalled his pokemon. Ash stood there for a moment with a dumbfounded look on his face before he grinned widely and he only had the peace of mind to wait for the barriers to drop before he ran towards Riolu and scooped up his friend with a happy laugh. "You won! You did it Riolu! I'm so proud of you!" Riolu nodded his head and hugged Ash back as he growled with a smile on his face. Riolu was proud of himself right now as he knew that he was the reason for ash's current happiness.

Brock walked up to them with a smile on his face. "That was a terrific battle Ash! You and Riolu were truly in sync the whole time and you showed the ability to keep a level head and analyze your surroundings in order to use them in your favor," praised Brock before he got a curious look on his face. "What was that last move you used? 'Force Breaker?' I can't really say that I've heard of it before."

Ash blushed at Brock's word as Riolu jumped from his arms and landed at Ash's right side. "I would be surprised if you heard of it because Riolu and I kind of invented it on our second day travelling together," said Ash sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Riolu barked at his side and he pounded his chest before he pointed at Ash and barked again with a proud gleam on his eyes.

Brock's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean you invented it?" He asked slowly. He had an idea of what was really going on but he refused to believe it until he heard Ash explaining what he meant.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think is a big deal really because I only gave it a good name since I'm sure someone has managed to combine the techniques endure and counter already. Since we added force palm into the mix just the day before yesterday then we decided the technique should be called 'Force Breaker'," explained Ash with another shrug of his shoulders.

Brock stared at Ash for a few seconds before he muttered something about young, scary kids with too much talent and potential for their own good before he coughed and shook his head, gaining a confused look from Ash and a knowing look from Riolu. "Well, never mind that. Since you managed to defeat my pokemon on a straight fight you have earned the boulder badge," said Brock as he handed the silver emblem shaped like a diamond being looked from above to Ash.

The black haired trainer looked at it for a moment with an almost reverent look on his face before he pocketed it after showing it to Riolu who sniffed it before nodding at Ash. He would buy a case for it later. Ash looked up at Brock an extended his hand. "Thanks for the battle and letting us test ourselves against you on a fair fight Brock," said Ash with a sincere tone of voice and Riolu barked before the jackal like pokemon bowed at Brock also in thanks.

Brock just waved them off with a chuckle before he took Ash's extended hand. "There is no need to thank me. It's my job to accept the challenges of trainers and test them to see if they are worthy. I just have to say that should you keep up the training you've been doing because if you do that you will go far. Keep up the good work Ash and I'll be waiting you here for a rematch," said Brock with a smirk on his face.

Ash smirked right back at him and nodded resolutely as he let go of the gym leader's hand. "I will come back here once I get all my badges. I'm looking forward to battling that beast of an onix you are known for. Until then," said Ash before he bowed, along with Riolu, before they turned around and walked out of the gym.

Brock stared at his back with a pondering look on his face and he nodded his head in resolution once Ash was out of the gym. He was going to start training his pokemon harder from now on. If that Ash kid kept getting better at the pace he was currently going then his team was going to need it. He was already developing combination techniques and he doubted that the boy's growth will just stop there. There was something about Ash that he couldn't put his finger on but of one thing he was sure: That something, whatever it was, was amazing.

XxXxX

The phone rand three times before it was picked up by his mother. Delia had an even look on her face before it was replaced by a extremely happy one upon seeing his face on the other end of the screen. "Ash!" She cried happily as she smiled a wide smile at him. It made Ash give smile at her. "How have you been honey? It's been almost two weeks since you last called," she said with a sad frown on her face.

There was guilty grimace on his face as he looked at his mother. "I'm very sorry mom. I arrived yesterday from the Viridian Forest and me and my pokemon were extremely tired so I just had them checked for anything I might had missed, got dinner and went directly to bed," explained Ash with a tone that matched the guilty look on his face.

Delia sighed as she gave him a small smile. "I know that you trainers are a very hectic and irregular bunch when it comes to staying in one place but please tell me next time what you are going to be doing so I don't worry as much." Ash nodded at her and Delia's smile widened. "So! Anything interesting happened at the Viridian Forest? Caught any new pokemon?"

Ash shook his head as he smiled fondly. "I didn't catch any new friends but pidgey finally evolved after we battled a mean pinsir," he said, feeling some guilty sipping into his tone at modifying the truth of what really happened but he didn't want his mother worrying too much. "It was mostly training and challenging other trainers. Riolu got much stronger too." He smiled cheekily at her as he pulled out the boulder badge and held it at face level. "He was strong enough to beat Brock's graveler and win me the boulder badge."

Delia smiled proudly at Ash as she looked at her son's first badge. "That's fantastic Ash! I knew you could do it," she then got a curious look on her face. "When did you challenge the gym if you told me you arrived yesterday to the city?"

Ash gulped at her accusing tone and he laughed nervously when she raised an eyebrow at him. "I kinda went there first thing in the morning and got that done with before I called you so I could show my first badge to you," he almost said this as a question as he kept laughing nervously. Having Delia Ketchum mad at him was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment.

Delia just looked at him with a deadpan before she sighed and chuckled. "You never change Ash but I guess that's a good thing. What are you going to do next from here?" She asked him before either of them forgot about it.

Ash perked up at the question and he got a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm going to check the Pewter City Museum of Science. I overheard some guys talking about prehistoric pokemon fossils that were shown there. Then I'm going to head out to Cerulean through Mt. Moon. How long do you think it will take for me to get there?"

Delia got a pondering look on her face before she gave Ash a sad look. "It's going to take you at least three weeks to get from Pewter to Cerulean by foot: one week to reach Mt. Moon and a few hours to go through it before you have to spend two weeks to reach Cerulean from there." The sad tone on her voice was due to the fact that she wasn't going to hear from Ash during that time frame and for a mother that was just torture.

Ash was also visibly sad over that fact and the frown on his face proved it. "I don't like being out of contact with you for so much. There must be a way for us to talk while I'm on the road an away from cities that have pokemon centers on them," said Ash ruefully after he pocketed the badge.

Delia pursued her lips before her eyes brightened after a moment of thought. She clapped he hands happily and Ash blinked in bewilderment at the sudden mood change. "I might know of a solution for that but I will have to run it by Samuel first but I think it will allow you to keep in touch with us while you are travelling. It will be the best for my peace of mind."

Ash raised an eyebrow at her before he shook his head and smiled. "Aren't you going to tell me what your solution is?"

Delia shook her head and smiled cheerily at him. "No. You will have to wait until Cerulean. If the solution I have in mind is possible then you'll find out what it is by then," She then looked up and her eyes widened. "You should get going to the Museum now if you want to make a good head start to Mt. Moon," she told him with her sad tone coming back once again.

Ash looked into the part of the screen that displayed the time and he nodded his head with a frown on his face. "Yeah. It's already past mid morning. I will give Professor Oak a call and then I will head out. Talk to you in three weeks. I love you mom!"

Delia smiled at her son. "I love you too Ashy. Take care of yourself."

Ash nodded his head. "I will."

XxXxX

Ash walked towards the Pewter City Museum of Science with a disturbed and pondering look on his face. His friends were safely resting inside their pokeballs as he wanted them to be at their one hundred percent when they started their journey to Cerulean, which he was planning to keep it full of battles and training. And, if he got lucky, he would be catching a new friend along the way.

The reason for Ash having that look on his face was because of what he learned of the other kids that started their journey from Pallet. According to Professor Oak, Leaf had started her journey with a bulbasaur and was still in the Viridian Forest trying to catch all the pokemon she could and train them until they reached their final evolution because it seemed like her life goal was to catch and train every single pokemon there was in the Kanto Region that wasn't a legendary. That was a very admirable goal and Ash would've frown upon it had not Leaf been wealthy enough to take care of more than one hundred and forty pokemon. Her parents were technicians that worked for Silph Co. after all.

Zack, who started with charmander, was also in the Viridian Forest and was on his way to Pewter to challenge Brock. Zack also wanted to participate on this year's conference and he was going to go around doing that just like Ash. According to Professor Oak Zack was a bit selective with his captures but not like Ash. Zack had already acquired a spearow and a beedrill. Ash hoped that they would someday face each other as he wanted to test himself against him.

And then there was Gary Oak who started his journey with squirtle and he was the actual reason behind Ash's look of disturbance. According to Pallet's protector, Professor Oak, Gary had already got his first badge a few days ago and had caught already nineteen pokemon. What really shocked him though was Gary's method of training. He spent a period of time around cities, training and battling with his pokemon, and then he would take a car or a bus to the nearest city and then do the same until he beat the gym or caught the pokemon he wanted and then it was time to repeat.

Ash honestly didn't know what to think about that but he supposed that it wasn't a bad idea at all but it wasn't a method he preferred. The time he spent travelling and bonding with his friends as they all grew stronger together was not something he would exchange even for all the wealth in the world. His friends and the bond he shared with them was his treasure and he was going to keep it safe at all times.

Ash shook his head and shrugged. He decided it was not worthy to think about Gary's training methods as he might not even run into him while on the road so it was pointless to do so. He looked up at the famous museum in Pewter City and he was impressed by its design. The roof was made up of deep red bricks and the walls were done of gray stone that looked sturdy enough to endure the charge of a nidoking or a rhydon.

There were only three men in front of him when he reached the boot to pay the entrance ticket. The pretty woman smiled at him warmly. "It'll be fifty pokedollars," she told him and Ash easily handed her the money. He had more than enough to pay that much. She gave him a bracelet that let the security within the museum know that he'd pay and her smile widened just a fraction. "Enjoy your visit!"

Ash nodded at her with a smile of his own before he slipped into the building trailing behind the three men that had gone before him. He took his time to watch and appreciate everything that was showed in the museum. There was a bit of everything regarding pokemon from pictures and painting off thee showing their general biology to more theoretical stuff displayed in sculptures and diagrams that he only got a minimal understanding of it. He was smart, yes, but he wasn't a genius that understood everything without being explained to him first.

There were also expositions that explained why certain pokemon evolved when exposed to special stones. Apparently the stones had a specific type of radiation that reacted with the energy inside of a pokemon triggering the process of evolution. It was a very interesting concept that had Ash reading for about ten minutes before his focus when to another article talking about the moon stone and how it fell from space and landed right in the middle of Mt. Moon and the radiation caused some pokemon that lived nearby get the potential to evolve when exposed to a more concentrated dose of radiation. That was awesome. And now he knew why Hoenn dedicated so many funds to the exploration of space.

After he managed to get a basic understanding of evolution stones and how they triggered the evolution on certain pokemon, Ash went towards the second floor and his eyes widened at all the fossils being displayed. He could see that the entire floor was dedicated to prehistoric pokemon and he slowly walked across the room reading everything and absorbing information like a sponge.

He took notice of the three men from earlier but he paid them no attention and he began to read about the fossils and looking at all the fossilized skeletons. His attention was instantly grabbed by the fossils of kabutobs and aerodactyl and he wasn't afraid to say that he was more than intimidated. Kabutops was as tall as a full grown man and its scythes put those of a scyther to shame. And aerodactyl just made him shiver. It was only an estimate but according to the information the fossilized aerodactyl he was seeing had a wing span of probable twenty feet and it was twelve to thirteen feet large from the point of its tail to the end of its maw which Ash was sure could snap him in half on whim.

There were also other fossils but they paled in comparison to Kabutops and aerodactyl. He imagined what it was like to live with fear with those apex predators roaming the lands. Ash shuddered and moved downstairs, idly noting the three men were looking intently at the expositions of the dome, helix and old amber fossils. He shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like they were even more passionate about it than him.

Ash went out of the museum and passed the boot and absently waved at the woman who had sold him the ticket. She smiled warmly again and waved back as he made his way through the busy streets of Pewter. Ash smiled softly and he trailed his hand over the pokeballs that contained his friends. "I'll let you both out once we are on the road. It'll be full of training and battles."

Ash smiled as he felt his pokeballs wiggling slightly before he adjusted his cap so it covered his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun before he adjusted his backpack so it was comfortable strapped to his shoulders. He grinned before he headed towards the edge of the town. He had spent a good time in pewter but it was time to keep going. Cerulean was waiting for him.

* * *

 **And this is the second chapter of 'Master of Aura'. Sorry for the long wait but I was having a severe cause of writer's block due to some internal conflict about ash's team but I solved that and I think you guys are going to love the team he is going to build for himself. Keep in mind that he is very selective and the pokemon he will catch are going to be for a reason. The way I'm planning it all members of his tam are going to be badasses by the time the Indigo Conference comes around.**

 **I hope you liked the chapter and I will try to deliver the next one faster but I can't make any promise since I'm trying to deliver chapters with the best quality I can manage… which isn't much but I try.**

 **The story will get darker in the next chapter and you'll see what I am talking about. *Laughs somewhat evilly but it sounds like he is choking on chips***

 **Love y'all.**


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